Wrench.



T. J. HAMMOND. WRENCH. PrLIoATIox Hun `.Imm 5. moa.

907,346. 1 yPatented De0.22,1908.

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rm: Naxnrs Fergus co.. wixnmaron, n. c.

THOMAS I. HAMMOND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nec. 22, 1908.

Application filed .Tune l5, 1908. Serial No. 436,904.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. HAMMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to a wrench having a fixed and a slidable jaw, and the object of the invention is to provide means for automatically locking the sliding jaw against rearward movement as soon as it comes in contact with a pipe, nut, or other object to be gripped.

The invention consists in thenovel features of construction hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims and shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the wrench. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, vertical section. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, horizontal section. Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. perspective view, partly in section of a block and pawls carried by said block.

In these drawings 1 represents a slotted shank having a iixed jaw 2 at one end, the slot of the shank being covered by side plates 3 also slotted as at 4.l A slidable jaw 5 slides freely on the shank 1 and within said jaw and shank is placed a block 6 having a T- shaped slot 6a arranged vertically and hav- 'ing a rounded head portion. The` block is also slotted horizontally and is held in position relative to the sliding iaw 5 by a in 8, which passes through the horizontal s ot 7. Within the shank 1 are pla ed upper and lower rack bars 9 and to engage these bars l provide upper and lower pawls 10 provided throughout their main body portions with teeth to engage the rack bars and each having at one end a reduced neck portion provided with a cylindrical head 11, which heads rest in the head of the slot 6, the pawls moving vertically in said slot. A spring 12 serves to normally hold said pawls away from the rack bars and the adjacent faces of said pawls are recessed as shown at 13 and in said recess fits a wedge-shaped locking member 14 provided with thumb pieces 15 which project Fig. 6 is a detaill outwardly through the slots 4 of the side plates 3.

In operation the sliding jaw 5 is moved toward the fixed jaw 2 by pressure upon one or both of the thumb pieces 15. As soon as said jaw engages the object to be gripped its sliding movement will cease and the continued pressure upon the thumb pieces 15 will carry the locking member 14 forward out of the recess 13, thus spreading apart the pawls 10 and bringing them into engagement with the rack bars. This will at once lock the sliding jaw against rearward movement, and it will remain locked until rear pressure upon the thumb pieces, or one of them, returns the locking member to its position in the recess 13, when the sliding jaw will also be moved rearward by continued rear movement of the thumb pieces 15. lt will be noted therefore that the stoppage of the jaw 5 by contact with a pipe or nut will act to cause the pressure which had previously acted upon said jaw to be applied in moving the locking member out of its normal position, thus locking the jaw in place.

ilavmg thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a wrench, a slotted shank, a fixed jaw, a slidable jaw, rack bars arranged in the slotted shank, pawls for engagement with said rack bars, said awls being loosely connected to the sliding ]aw, and a wedge-shaped lo cking member working between said pawls,

into contact with the object to be gripped, and throwing the i pawls into engagement l with the rack bars upon continued pressure upon said locking member.

2. In a wrench, a slotted shank, rack bars carried thereby, a slidable jaw, a vertically slotted block connected to said jaw and working in the slotted shank, pawls for engagement with the rack bars, said pawls being recessed on their adjacent faces, and having head portions resting loosely in the slot of the block, a wedge-shaped locking mem- 1 ber resting in the recesses of the pawls, and llaterally projecting wings carried by said lockling member, as and'for the purpose set fort said locking member moving the sliding jaw 3. In a Wrench, a longitudinally slotted paWl Working in the Vertical slot 0f the block, shank, up er and loWer rack bars arranged in and a Wedge-shaped locking member arl0 said shanlll, a xed jaw on the shank, a jaw ranged between said paWls and normally sliding on the shank zL-Verteally slotted seated in said recesses. v

5 block sliding in the shank n unison With the THOMAS J. HAMMON D.

jaw, oppositely arranged l{aWls provided Witnesses: With teeth to engage the rac bars7 their ad- C QT,

jacent faces being recessed, an end of each RUDOLPH FLASCHNER. 

